Lightning-conductor.



M. G. MITCHELL.

LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APB..22,1909.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH CONWASHIIIKCITON. D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVIN G. MITCHELL, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 'IO NATIONAL CABLE& MFG. 00., OF NILES, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

LIGHTNING-CONDUCTOR.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, MELVIN G. MITCHELL, a resident of South Bend, in thecounty of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Lightning- Conductors, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to lightning-conductors for preventing buildingsfrom being damaged or struck by lightning.

It is now common practice to employ points on lightning-rods orconductors to serve as distributer terminals for the energy passingthrough the conductors and these points are usually at least severalfeet in length and are rigidly secured to the building. In practice ithas been found that in order to attain the maximum distributingefficiency these points must be disposed truly vertical and if they aredisposed out of a true vertical line the efficiency is lessenedcorresponding to its variation from such line. In the use of suchpoints, heretofore, it frequently occurs that long points, or pointssustained at the upper end of a conductor or support extending severalfeet above the point of attachment to the building, become bent orstrained out of a true vertical line if normally secured in trueposition and in other instances, resulting from inconvenience orcarelessness in attachment the points are not truly disposed at theoutset. In either of these events, however, the points have lessefficiency in distribution than the maximum attainable thereby and whichis essential to the prevention of fire or damage by lightning. Thisincorrect disposition of the points is most likely to occur where theconductor is laid or secured over an inclined plane or pitched roofwhere, in the absence of convenient or variable means of attachment, itbecomes difficult to correctly set the points. The present inventiondesigns to overcome these causes which frequently lessen the etficiencyof the points, by providing a convenient means of attachment for thepoints whereby they may, without the least ditiiculty, be adjusted andsecured so they will be truly disposed to attain the maximum efliciencyand by which the points may be properly mounted on roofs or walls ofwidely different inclination or disposition. By providing convenientmeans of attachment, these points Will most likely be Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1909.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 491,421.

truly disposed at the outset and furthermore, if a building shouldsettle or a roof sag to cause the accurate alinement of the point to bedisturbed, the latter may be easily readjusted so that it will possessthe maximum etliciency.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly defined by claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of the improveddistributerpoint and bracket for connecting it to a building or support.Fig. 2 is a section taken through the point and the bracket.

A distributer point C is tapered and hollow and has its lower endsecured to a lug c which is pivotally connected to a bracket D. Thelower end of lug 0 is perforated to receive a pivot-stud (Z integrallyformed on. the bracket, and a screw 0 is adapted to secure the lug andpoint in assigned relation with respect to the bracket. Thisconstruction thus affords an adjustable connection whereby the relativeangularity of the point with respect to the bracket may be easily andquickly varied so that the point will be secured in a truly verticalposition so that the maximum distributing efficiency will be attainedthereby.

In practice the pitch of roofs along which the points are to be mountedvaries materially and by employing the adjustable connection between thepoint and the bracket, as described, the device is rendered quickly andeasily capable of attachment to roofs of different pitches, so thatnotwithstanding such variation the bracket can be first secured to theroof and then the point can be adjusted to a nicety into a trulyvertical position. So also, if the roof should sag or a building shouldsettle and disturb the verticality of the point, the latter can beeasily underlie a pair of flexible tongues (Z on the= bracket and byhammering or bending the lugs down against the conductor the latter willbe securely connected to the bracket to establish an electricalconnection between the conductor and the point through the bracketpivot-stud (Z and lug 0. In equipping a building with the improvedconductor, the brackets D with the points thereon, are secured at thedesired points on the building and the conductor can then be placed incircuit therewith by laying it on or over the several brackets D and thetongues 01 can then be hammered down to form an efficient and simpleelectrical connection between the bracket and the point. Either beforeor after the conductor has been connected to the brackets the points Cmay be accurately adjusted so they will be vertically disposed. As aresult of this construction it becomes feasible to employ a greaternumber of short points in lieu of a lesser number of points which areliable to become bent out of their true vertical position or disturbedby the settling of a building, and the attaching brackets serve tosecure the conductor to the building as well as secure the points inproper position, and furthermore then serve as conducting-means betweenthe point and the conductor A.

The invention thus provides an improved lightning-conductor in which thepoints may be readily connected to a building and set in a true verticalline and which may be adjusted at any time in event re-adjustmentbecomes necessary. Furthermore, the adjustable connection between thepoint and the bracket adapts the device for easy connection to roofs ofdifferent pitches and so that the point may be truly adjusted or set ondifferent roofs without variation in the construction of the bracket.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth since these may be modified within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a support, a distributerpoint, anadjustable connection between the point and the bracket whereby thepoint may be adjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electricalconductor, and means for securing said conductor to the bracket.

2. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a support, a distributerpoint, a pivotalconnection between the point and the bracket whereby the point may beadjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electrical conductor, andmeans for securing "said conductor to the bracket.

3. In lightning-conductors, the combina tion of a bracket formed ofconductingmaterial and having means whereby it may be secured to asupport or building, a distributer-point, an adjustable connectionbetween the pointand the bracket whereby the point may be adjusted to bedisposed truly vertical, an electrical conductor, and means for securingthe conductor to said bracket and whereby the bracket will serve toconduct energy from the bracket to the point.

4. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket formed ofconductingmaterial and having means whereby it may be secured to asupport or building, a distributor-point, a pivotal connection betweenthe point and the bracket whereby the point may be adjusted to bedisposed truly vertical, an electrical conductor, and means for securingthe conductor to said bracket and whereby the bracket will serve toconduct energy from the bracket to the point.

5. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket ofconducting-material provided with lugs whereby the bracket may besecured to a support or building, a distributer-point, a pivotalconnection between the point and the bracket whereby the point may beadjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electrical conductor, andmeans for connecting said conductor to said bracket.

6. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a building or support, a lug adjustablyconnected to said bracket, a hollow point secured to said lug, and meansfor connecting an electrical conductor to the bracket.

7. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a building or support, a lug pivotallyconnected to said bracket, a hollow point secured to said lug, and meansfor connecting an electrical conductor to the bracket.

8. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a building or support, a distributer point,an adjustable connection between the point and the bracket whereby thepoint may be adjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electricalconductor, and flexible tongues on the bracket for clamping theconductor thereto, said bracket being formed of conducting-material.

9. In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a building or support, a distributor point,a pivotal connection between the point and the bracket whereby the pointmay be adjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electrical conductor,and flexible tongues on the bracket for clamping the conductor thereto,said bracket being formed of conducting-material.

10; In lightning-conductors, the combination of a bracket having meanswhereby it may be secured to a building or support, a lug, a pivotalconnection between the lug and the bracket, a hollow dist-ributer pointsecured to the lug, an electrical conductor,

may be secured to a building or support, a distributer point, anadjustable connection between the point and the bracket whereby thepoint may be adjusted to be disposed truly vertical, an electricalconductor, and a flexible tongue on the bracket for clamping theconductor thereto, said bracket being formed of conducting-material.

MELVIN Gr. MITCHELL. WVitnesses:

FRED GERLAOH, HILDUR C. PETERSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

